Traditionally, silencers (also referred to as suppressors) have been built with an outer tube and internal baffling components. The outer tube is steel or aluminum tubing and has end caps, either welded or threaded in place. The internal components are typically a set of flat disks each having a hole through the center thereof with spacers therebetween to create a volume of space (referred to as a baffle chamber) between each set of disks. Improvements on the flat spacer configuration include various expansion cone shape baffles that are either machined or stamped. Some of these baffles include holes at various places to re-direct gases and increase turbulence of the gases internally as the bullet passes thought the baffles. Such a configuration aids in reducing the noise produced by the firearm.
The pieces of the outer tube attach in a gas-tight manner onto, for example, an outside thread on the muzzle of a rifle. The disks extend in a plane that is orthogonal to the firing axis of the barrel. The firing opening of the disks can taper outward towards the front.
More modern suppressors that make use of what are referred to as “M” and “K” baffles incorporate both the expansion cone concept with the spacer as a single unit. These units are individually machined on a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) lathe and stacked on top of one another and are subject to stack-up tolerances during assembly. Recent designs include a monolithic baffle that is either drilled or milled from a round piece of stock. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,079,311 and 6,302,009 to O'Quinn et al. describe a monolithic baffle drilled or milled from a round piece of stock.
Characteristics of designing a suppressor include the number and the shape of the chamber parts. Each silencer also must be adapted to the weapon and to the ammunition used in the weapon. Another aspect to consider in this context is the silencer's sound-reducing requirements. Each chamber part reduces the muzzle report by a given amount and, therefore, a larger number of chambers is desirable. However, the silencer increases the total length of the firearm and adds weight to the muzzle (thus impairing the weapon's balance and line of sight), hence, the silencer should be as short and light as possible. The added weight disadvantage of the prior art suppressors significantly alters the firearm's point of impact (POI) when the suppressor is attached to the firearm. Hence, the user of the firearm is required to compensate for this change by “zeroing” the firearm's line of sight every time the suppressor is removed and/or attached.
The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art with a new and improved monolithic suppressor that is easier to manufacture, lighter in weight, and has better sound-reduction properties. More specifically, the firearm achieves improved sound-reducing properties over known prior art suppressors and is also shorter in length and lighter in weight. Hence, given the lighter weight and improved dimensions of the present invention's suppressor design, the firearm retains its POI after attaching the suppressor to the firearm, thereby precluding or minimizing the user's need to “zero” in his/her firearm's line of sight every time the suppressor is removed and/or attached. In addition, the present invention reduces and/or eliminates the sound contributed to “first round pop”, which is a known in the art as a distinctly higher sound value for the first round of ammunition.